By Steve Neavling
Barni, a five-year-old German shorthaired pointer stationed at San Francisco International Airport, has been crowned the cutest TSA canine of 2024.
In a social media contest organized by the TSA, the public voted Dina as their top pick among the agency’s hard-working dogs.
Barni’s career with the TSA began in 2022, when he was paired with handler Michele Cogle. He was trained to sniff out explosives.
Barni beat out other four-legged contenders who were chosen by TSA handlers nationwide.
“We are thrilled to celebrate Barni as he officially is crowned TSA’s cutest canine. One look at him and you can see why he is deserving of this title,” Fred Lau, TSA federal security director for San Francisco, said. “We thank everyone who voted and put their paws together for Barni and help us highlight the important role Barni and all of our other wonderfully talented canine teams play in our security operations.”
Barni will be featured on the cover of TSA’s 2025 canine calendar.
“Barni is a wonderful working dog,” Cogle said. “And indeed, Barni is just so cute. He is always eager to come to the airport with me each morning, ready to focus on our mission to ensure that travelers get to their destinations safely and get home safely.”
She added, “Because he is so very handsome, he attracts attention from passengers who we screen as they work their way through the security checkpoint line. He loves his job keeping travelers safe and he enjoys meeting and sniffing passengers.”
The TSA has more than 1,000 canines paired with handlers.
